I was impressed at the cohesiveness of the group. Those long grinding mileage days are not for everyone and to get a group that can do them without getting grouchy and mean is rare. I personally would not wish to do 1000+ miles in one day with but one other rider, I don't think I even know 3 other people who could/would do it.
We're all pretty easy-going... During the previous trip we were headed from Bryce Canon towards Mesa Verde and we stopped at a stop sign.. there was another sign saying the north rim of the Grand Canyon was 150 miles away... well, it was still early and we all said we either hadn't been to that part of the GC or not on a bike... so off we went, however that was already a 550 mile day we just added 250 miles too along with tourist stuff so we ended up at Mesa Verde at 3am.. LOL
I think the key is to embrace the experience and not let anything get to you.. we all seem to mesh well and keep a good attitude. If any one of us feels the day is over then the others just say okay the day is over and we find a campground.
What kind of MPG are you getting? What do you think of your saddlebag capacity? Any real complaints?
If I stayed under 80 indicated I'd get around 50, under or around 70 and I could get 60-65mpg. A lot of that was in higher altitudes. The interstate in ND was a mileage killer... We had to back off to around 75mph so I wouldn't have to stop for gas more often as 90 indicated was yielding 28mpg at one point. It is a 650 so obviously, the higher speeds are going to affect those numbers the most.
The Jesse bags are great, top-loading bags are just great IMO. They are not waterproof so you still have to pack things in waterproof bags or freezer bags but event with the rain we did hit there was only about a shot glass full of water in one bag so not that bad. It's great you don't have to lock the bags to latch them yet they are still secure enough they won't open accidentally.